Uncharted Water @debbieputman - Tumblr Blog

Changes in a New Season

I started blogging five years ago. Unscheduled, unwanted changes caused me to feel lost and unsure. My oldest daughter passed away four years before my first blog post, and I struggled with grief. The team I worked with and I was never on the same page. It seemed I had plunged into uncharted waterwith no plan, compass, or direction. Several people encouraged me to start blogging and share my…

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Be Still Before God Along the Way

As I continued to make my way around the lake, I grew tired. For one thing, I never intended to walk further than from my car to where I planted my chair for the afternoon. Then when the pink-flowered tree caught my attention, I planned on heading back to my chair after seeing its beauty. However, enjoying God’s abundant gifts along the trail kept me going.

Since I only expected a short walk, I…

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God is Never Done with His Children

I think I’m done. Crushed, trampled, isolated. What good can come from the hurt? Why are others successful, tromping over my hopes and dreams? Leaving me behind.

Feeling Like I Was Done

Ponderosa Pines surround Goldwater Lake, providing shade on the trail. Pinecones lie scattered along the path. When I see the crushed pinecone, my mind floods with the years I felt incapable, useless, unwanted.…

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Trust in the Lord: Lessons at the Lake 4

While I walked around Goldwater Lake, I looked in all directions, including down. I didn’t want to slip on the uneven ground of dirt and rocks. Also, I’ve learned that I often see gifts when I slow down enough to stop once in a while and take stock of what God placed around me.

I was rewarded when I observed two lizards. Barely breathing, I stood as still as a statue admiring the details of their…

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Celebrate True Freedom in Christ

Everywhere I look, I see flags waving proudly. The United States celebrates independence on July 4, 242 years since the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and a new nation was born. Freedom is always associated with the great country I love. Our freedoms are guaranteed in the laws of our land.

But the real freedom every person longs for is never found in the law. True freedomcomes only from…

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If I Abide Then God Can Use Me

If I work harder, show I can do what they said I didn’t and couldn’t do, then I’ll prove them wrong. If I hunker down and give it my all, then they’ll accept me, like me, be impressed with me.

Wrong. That If I strategy failed over and over again. Oh, I showed them. However, instead of drawing me closer to others, the gap widened, leaving me isolated.

I didn’t want to show anyone my weaknesses.…

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God Works in the Dry Seasons, Lessons at the Lake 2

When I tell people I live in Arizona, they immediately think dry, hot, desert. with temperatures exceeding 110 in the summer. I did too.

But I live in north-central Arizona, where there are more mountains than desert. We are surrounded by the largest stand of ponderosa pine forests in the U.S. During the summer, we rarely have temperatures over 95º. In the winter, there may be a few light dusting…

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He Sustains My Soul-Lessons at the Lake Part 1

A few days ago, I needed to get away from the daily grind of the mundane chores of laundry and cleaning the same counter and making lunch. And I felt useless. Van and my brother-in-love, David, were preparing the backyard for our patio extension. They pounded stakes, put in drains, and moved what seemed like acres of rocks and dirt. My sister-in-love, Judy, worked right beside them.

Not me. I…

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An Ocean of Reminders of Who God Is

Our sailboat was anchored in a pristine cove on Santa Cruz Island, thirty-two miles off the coast of Ventura. After breakfast, we got in the dinghy to explore the coastline and some of the caves. The only thing that disturbed the cries of the gulls was the whine of our motor. As we zipped across the chop of the ocean, joy filled my heart.

Everywhere I looked I saw evidence of God’s creativity…

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Abundance of Everything We Need

Yesterday I bought too many flowers. Two bunches when I needed only one. But standing in Trader Joe’s, I feared one bunch wouldn’t fill all three Mason jars. “Better to be safe than sorry,” I muttered to myself.

When I got home, I undid the cellophane and rubber bands that wrapped the cheerful white and yellow blooms. Free from their packaging, they seemed to multiply. Suddenly I had an abundance…

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Let's Do This: Have the Right Tools for Time with God

Let’s Do This: Have the Right Tools for Time with God

I smiled when I looked out in the backyard yesterday. All the tools Van and his crew of helpers need for this morning’s patio project stand ready. After two weeks of preparation, the cement gets poured today. And once the cement arrives, work happens quickly. Having everything prepared in advance is critical.

Whether I enjoy my first cup of coffee or a refreshing glass of iced tea in the…

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Love Teaches Us to Fly-Lessons from Mom

Mom taught me to fly. To soar. No matter what, Mom believed in me and supported me. Never once did I doubt she loved me. Today is her birthday. She would have been eighty-four. Mom passed away almost eighteen months ago, and I miss her every day.

On the most disappointing day of school, Mom’s comforting words reminded me no matter what happened, she knew I could fly, even when others wanted to…

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Savor the Moments with a Slower Pace

One of my favorite things about retirement is the slower pace. The frantic striving I thought was necessary to complete my never-ending to-do listwore me out. Irritability and impatience became my constant response to everything and everyone. I rarely managed to enjoy what was right in front of me. Instead, I kept my focus on what I still needed to do. Whenever I took time for friends or family,…

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Return to God: The Antidote to Spiritual ADD

My eyes return to the plaque on the hearth over and over again. Every time I read the words, my face, and heart smile. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).

Doing laundry, I see God’s reminder of who I am because He loves me: Blessed, chosen, pursued, forgiven, defended, accepted, free, delightful, valuable, strong, victorious, irreplaceable, redeemed,…

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Over the next few weeks on this blog, we’ll explore different ways to connect with other people and welcome them into our homes and lives. These types of efforts are often rewarded by stronger community bonds and new friendships. Those are wonderful blessings: good for y

Need Comfort? Turn to God's Word

Need Comfort? Turn to God’s Word

Do you have a comfort food? I don’t, not really. I use the open-the-fridge-or-pantry-and-stuff-what-I-see-first-into-my-mouth method. It doesn’t matter what it is. Which is why I’m on Weight Watchers trying to lose the 40 pounds I gained over the last three years. I hope it doesn’t take three years to lose those pounds!

Escaping into a good book brings comfort as well. In fact, a select few of my…

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Pause to Learn Contentment

For years I spent my life in hurry mode. Determined to get everything done so I could have time to rest, relax, breathe. More often than not, I kept going beyond the time when the clock said stop. My car, the last in the parking lot at school. Folding laundry after dinner. My mantra was one more thing.

This relentless pushing, striving, doing ate into my heart and soul. Never satisfied, tense,…

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